Method and apparatus for assimilating a yarn end in tow

ABSTRACT

METHOD, AND APPARATUS FOR PRACTICING THE METHOD, FOR ASSIMILATING A MOVING YARN END OF FILAMENTARY MATERIAL INTO A MOVING TOW BY ENTANGLING INDIVIDUAL FILAMENTS OF THE YARN END WITH FILAMENTS OF PORTIONS OF THE TOW BY FALSE TWISTING SUCH FILAMENTS, AND AUTOMATICALLY CUTTING THE YARN END AT A LOCATION IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO AND DOWNSTREAM OF THE RESULTING FALSE TWIST.

M. L. DIBBLE Nov. 16, 1971 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ASSIMILATING A YARN END IN TOW 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 19, 1970 M ERTON L. DIBBLE INVENTQR.

BY Mg 942 57 FIG. I

ATTORNEY Nov. 16, 1971 M. DIBBLE 3,619,868

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ASSIMILATING A YARN END IN TOW Filed Jan. 19, 1970 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 MERTQN L. IDIBBLE mm (Mm/X y ATTORN EY Nov. 16, 1971 M. L. DIBBLE 3,619,868

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ASSIMILATING A YARN END IN TOW Filed Jan. 19, 1970 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. 6

PRESSURE PLANT AIR REGULATOR 44 11 ORIFICE 42 4 a FLUIDIC VALVE ENTANGLING DEVICE MER TON L. DIBBLE INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent .0

3,619,868 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ASSIMILATING A YARN END IN TOW Merton L. Dibble, Kingsport, Tenn., assignor to Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N.Y. Filed Jan. 19, 1970, Ser. No. 3,742 Int. Cl. D01b 3/10 U.S. CI. 19-65 T 14 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Method, and apparatus for practicing the method, for assimilating a moving yarn end of filamentary material into a moving tow by entangling individual filaments of the yarn end with filaments of portions of the tow by false twisting such filaments, and automatically cutting the yarn end at a location immediately adjacent to and downstream of the resulting false twist.

The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for assimilating yarn ends of filamentary material into a moving filamentary tow with minimum disturbance of the tow.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In order for an operator on a staple yarn spinning machine to manually add or tie-up a yarn or cabinet end to a moving tow, which in turn is composed of other yarn or cabinet ends, the operator must induce a high degree of false twist along a substantial length of the tow. This is necessary to obtain the degree of entanglement required to carry the yarn end through subsequent operations such as puddler rolls and into a puddling jet against back pressure. The operator manually creates the false twist by applying oblique pressure on the tow by a doif stick.

The preceding manual tie-up operation is undesirable because the pressure of the dotf stick against the tow causes considerable yarn damage. Also, due to changing conditions of tow size and tension level, it is not always readily possible to induce the necessary false twist. The operator must either carry a dotf stick and scissors in the same hand or use his scissors as a doif stick so as to have one hand available to carry the tie-up waste jet or aspirator. This operation often is the cause of a number of breakdowns occurring in subsequent operations along an operating line toward ultimate production of a staple product. These breakdowns are largely caused by roll wraps resulting from long trailing ends of the yarn end that are due to the delay in cutting the yarn end free of the waste jet once the operator determines that a suitable false twist of the other portion of the yarn end has occurred. Depending on the number of spinning cabinets on a line, some tails may be fifty feet, more or less, in length. Since the tow in a line is continuing to move at a great speed, and the cabinet or yarn end is also moving at this same speed, by the time an operator has walked a far enough distance along the cabinet line to assure sufiicient false twist, quite an amount of the yarn end has been aspirated by the waste jet. Thus the hand method of false twisting results in a great amount of waste over the course of time which might otherwise be profitably sold as staple fiber.

Another disadvantage of the hand operation is the risk occurring if the scissors, by which the operator cuts the yarn end, are jerked from his hand by the moving tow and carried down the line causing damage and possible injury to personnel if they hapen to be standing near the A further disadvantage is that at the location where 3,619,868 Patented Nov. 16, 1971 the yarn end is tied into the tow a knot results, which in turn results in a dark dyeing spot when the tow is dyed as part of a standard quality control check. Thus this indicates nonuniform properties occurring in the tow. The tail, in such quality control check, does not fully draft and when dyed produces a dark streak that is quite a few feet in length.

The prior art discloses some other methods and apparatus for combining a yarn end, as from a spinning cabinet, with a moving tow formed from a number of yarn ends from different spinning cabinets or other sources.

The McDonald US. Pat. No. 2,648,890 discloses a tubular apparatus with a lengthwise slot through which running yarn may be introduced into the apparatus. A tangential air inlet pipe is provided near the inlet end of the tube so that upon release of a blast of air through the pipe the air will be caused to swirl around in the tube. This swirling action in turn causes the yarn end to be twisted tightly about the running tow. Then the yarn end is drawn against a cutting blade that is arranged near the outlet end of the tube so as to trim off the yarn end close to the running tow. A disadvantage of this arrangement is that the twisting of the yarn end, which itself usually contains a number of individual filaments, around the running tow, which also contains a number of separate yarn ends previously combined, makes quite a wad of material or knot that is difficult to process in subsequent operations in much the same manner as described above in connection with the manual tie-up operation. Another disadvantage is that at the speed the tow and yarn end is moving, by the time the operator has led the yarn end against the cutting blade, a long tail of the yarn end has been created, similar to that occurring in the mnaual tie-up, which tail moves with the tow but is not securely assimilated with the running tow. This also creates problems in subsequent operations, such as causing roll Wraps, for instance.

Also, by the time the operator has, by means of a waste jet or aspirator, led the yarn end against the cutting blade, the tow with the twisted yarn end has passed well beyond the cutting blade. Thus, while the operator continues to hold the yet unsevered yarn end, it will tend to pull back upon the portion of the yarn end in the twisted area causing the twist to be stripped back to about one small location and thereby form a knot.

Another example of the prior art in the field to which this invention relates is the Wood et al. US. Pat. No. 3,380,135. This patent also discloses an apparatus by which a threadline is incorporated into a moving tow, by momentarily blowing an intermediate section of the threadline into the tow with a blast of fluid through jets, while substantially simultaneously severing the threadline at a point near the intermediate section by pulling the threadline down and across a cutting edge. The patentees explain that the fluid stream momentarily separates the threadlines composing the tow so as to enable the threadline to be forced into the interior of the tow by the fluid stream. A disadvantage of this arrangement is that the incorporated threadline is not securely attached to the running tow and may pull out during subsequent operations and/or cause roll wraps. Another disadvantage is the creation of a long tail and the undesirable consequences flowing from that, as explained above.

Still another disadvantage, applicable to both patents, is that by the time the operator has led a yarn end or threadline over and against a cutting edge, at the rate of speed the yarn end is traveling, some of the filaments will 'be scraped back by the cutting edge and the filaments will not all be severed at the same location.

Inherent in both patented operations is the attendant waste created by the time the operator has led the yarn or threadine into the apparatus and then past a blade edge.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The aforementioned problems are obviated by the present invention wherein an object thereof is to provide a method, and an apparatus for practicing the method, by which a moving yarn end of filamentary material is assimilated into a moving tow with minimum disturbance of the tow by entangling individual filaments of an intermediate portion of the yarn end with filaments of portions of the tow by false twisting such filaments, and automatically cutting the yarn end at a location immediately adjacent to and downstream of the resulting false twist.

Another object is to provide an apparatus in which the moving yarn end to be assimilated in a moving tow causes simultaneous activation at two different locations of an entanglement device and a cutting device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains from the description of the drawings and in the specification.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a spinning apparatus on which the tow assimilator may be used and illustrating the movement of individual yarn ends or cabinet ends from quenching chimneys for subsequent assimilation into a moving tow;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the tow assimilator with portions partially broken away and in cross section, and illustrating the relationship of an intermediate portion of the yarn end with the moving tow immediately prior to activation of the assimilator;

FIG. 3 is a plan view, approximately and in exaggerated detail, of the resulting false twist and severed end of the yarn end portion immediately adjacent the false twist;

FIG. 4 is a similar view as that shown in FIG. 3 but showing a side elevation of the resulting false twist and severed end of the yarn end;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a graphic illustration of a fluidic circuit arrangement that may be used to cause responsiveness of the tow assimilator to the insertion of an intermediate portion of the yarn end in the tow assimilator.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In reference to FIG. 1 of the drawings, 10 designates a spinning apparatus, which may be a possible source for the moving yarn ends or cabinet ends 12 and a moving tow 14 which may be composed of a number of such yarn ends. The yarn ends themselves are of filamentary material of man-made fibers composed of a number of individual continuous filaments. The number of filaments making up a single yarn end in an apparatus source of this character is determined by the number of orifices in a spinneret (not shown) associated with each quenching chimney 16. Puddler rolls for the spinning apparatus are shown at 18 and may lead to a puddler jet (not shown), creel (not shown), and for subsequent operations by which the moving tow may be processed into staple fiber.

The novel tow assimilator 20 is shown mounted on the spinning apparatus, and may be mounted at every other or every yarn end position, if desired. Although the tow assimilator is shown as being physically connected to the spinning apparatus, which would be the preferred manner of using for reasons that will become evident herein, the tow assimilator may also be constructed so as to be portable.

In reference to the drawings, the tow assimilator 20 4 may be suitably incorporated in a housing 21 containing a jet or fluid entangling device 22 (FIGS. 2, 5, 6), an automatically activated shear or cutting device 24 (FIGS. 2, 5) and a sensor or sensing device 26 (FIG. 6).

The housing 21 is provided with an elongated slot 28, generally horizontally disposed or in line with the tow movement, and through which slot the tow and an intermediate portion of the yarn end may be inserted within the housing for passing therethrough with no contact of the tow with the housing so that there will be no damage done to the tow by fricitonal abrasion.

A vertically disposed slot 30 is formed in the housing at generally right angles to the elongated slot 28 so that the yarn end, after insertion through slot 28, may be led upwardly away from the substantially parallel disposition of the intermediate portion of the yarn end and the moving tow, and past the sensing device 26.

The jet entangling device 22 may be composed of a number of conduits 32 through which a gaseous fluid, such as air, may flow for subsequent jetting through orifices 34 that open up into the substantially enclosed passage 36 within the housing. The gaseous fluid may be jetted against both sides of the intermediate yarn end portion and tow moving through the passage so as to entangle filaments by false twisting the individual filaments of the yarn end with filaments of portions of the tow moving through the passage. Although FIG. 5 illustrates a jet arrangement showing two orifices 34 above the parallel disposition of the yarn end and tow and one orifice 34 below, other arrangements are possible just so long as they are capable of creating suitable entanglement capable of withstanding subsequent processing operations.

The automatic shear or cutting device 24 is conventional, and may be arranged with one blade being caused electrically, pneumatically or by any other suitable means to move horizontally toward the other blade at a rapid rate of speed to shear the yarn end so as to cut the individual filaments making up the yarn end at substantially the same location. Other cutting or shearing arrangements may be used just so long as they are capable of cutting cleanly and without providing any undesirable areas within which filaments might otherwise become trapped.

The sensor or sensing device 26 may include an orifice 38 (FIG. 6) formed in the housing at the bottom or back of the vertically disposed slot 30, through which orifice a small amount of gaseous fluid continuously escapes at low pressure. The orifice in the housing in turn is connected to a conduit 40 along which is located another orifice 42 which meters the amount of gaseous fluid flowing to orifice 38 in conjunction with a pressure regulator 44. Orifice 34 is also connected in line through conduit 46 to a conventional tluidic valve 48. The fluidic valve serves to control the gaseous fluid pressure through conduit 49 for activating both the jet entangling device 22 and the automatic cutting device 24.

It should be understood, of course, that the location of orifice 38 witln'n the vertically disposed slot 30 may also be suitably arranged at any other location such as along one of the sidewalls defining slot 30. Also, the arrangement for sensing the yarn end and subsequently activating the jet entangling device and the cutting device may be electrical or even a combination of electrical and fiuidic, and would still be within the intended scope of the invention.

OPERATION When an operator desires to add a yarn end to a moving tow, he takes in hand his waste jet or aspirator (not shown) through which the yarn end coming from a quenching chimney passes to a waste container (not shown), guidingly slips a moving intermediate portion of the yarn end through the elongated slot 28 in the tow assimilator, and then leads the yarn end to a predetermined location upwardly through the vertically disposed slot 30. Since a metered amount of low pressure air is continuously escaping from the orifice 38 in the slot 30, as soon as the yarn end is inserted into slot 30 and covers up or partially covers up orifice 38, a sufficient back pressure is caused to operate the fluidic valve 48, which in turn controls the supplying of high pressure air to simultaneously activate both the jet entangling device 22 and the automatic cutting device 24.

Since the jetting of the gaseous fluid and the severing or cutting action occur at the same time, the location of the severed yarn end 50 will be immediately adjacent to and downstream of the resulting false twist or splice 52, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. In practice, the severed end is only a few inches from the resulting false twist.

As soon as the severing action takes place, the yarn end no longer covers the orifice 38 of the sensor 26, with the result that the jetting of the gaseous fluid ceases immediately after cutting of the moving yarn end. This action results in minmizing the disturbance of the tow and confining such disturbance substantially to a minimal area sufficient to get good entanglement of the yarn end with the tow to withstand subsequent operations, and to reduce roll wraps.

Accordingly, it should be clear that the tow assimilator is capable of efficiently producing an entanglement of filaments by false twisting at the same time that the yarn end is cut or severed so that the severed end will be at a location immediately adjacent to and downstream of the location of the resulting false twist. This arrangement thus eliminates undesirable long tails which cause roll wraps and other undesirable consequences as previously mentioned.

The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention as described hereinabove and as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A method for assimilating a moving yarn end of filamentary material into a moving tow that are moving together closely adjacent along a substantially parallel path, and comprising:

entangling individual filaments of the moving yarn end with filaments of portions of the moving tow by false twisting said filaments by jetting a gaseous fluid against the yarn end and the moving tow While in said substantially parallel path closely adjacent each other; and

cutting said moving yarn end at a location downstream of said path and immediately adjacent the location of the resulting false twist.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, and wherein the entangling of the individual filaments and the cutting of the moving yarn end are caused to occur at the same time.

3. A method for assimilating a moving yarn end of filamentary material into a moving tow, and comprising:

positioning a moving intermediate portion of said moving yarn end closely adjacent to and approximately parallel with said moving tow;

jetting a gaseous fluid against the moving intermediate yarn end portion and the moving adjacent tow and entangling filaments by false twisting filaments of the intermediate yarn end portion with filaments of portions of said moving adjacent tow; and at the same time cutting said moving yarn end at a location downstream of and immediately adjacent the location of the resulting false twist.

4. A method as defined in claim 3, and ceasing the jetting of the gaseous fluid immediately after the cutting of the moving yarn end.

5. Apparatus for assimilating a moving yarn end of filamentary material into a moving tow that are moving together along a substantially parallel path, and comprising:

a jet entangling device disposed along the path of the moving tow and yarn end and adapted to jet a gaseous fluid against the yarn end and tow and thereby introduce a false twist between filaments of the yarn end and filaments of portions of the moving tow by entangling such filaments;

a cutting device positioned along the path of the yarn end at a downstream location from the jet entangling device and adapted to sever the yarn end at a location immediately adjacent the resulting false twist, and

means for activating the jet entangling device and the cutting device.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 5, and wherein said means for activating simultaneously activates the jet entangling device and the cutting device.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 6, and wherein said means for simultaneously activating is responsive to positioning a portion of the yarn end at a predetermined location downstream of the jet entangling device.

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 7, and wherein said means for simultaneously activating includes a sensing device for sensing the yarn end when the yarn end is predeterminedly positioned.

9. Apparatus as defined in claim 7, and wherein said means for simultaneously activating includes a fluidic back pressure device responsive to said yarn end portion partially closing off the back pressure device.

10. Apparatus for assimilating a moving yarn end of filamentary material into a moving tow, and comprising:

housing means for positioning therewithin a portion of the moving tow and an intermediate portion of said moving yarn end closely adjacent to and approximately parallel with each other;

means within said housing means for jetting a gaseous fluid against the moving tow portion and the moving intermediate yarn end portion and thereby adapted to entangle filaments by false twisting filaments of the yarn end portion with filaments of the tow portion; and

cutting means in said housing means and adapted to cut the yarn end portion at a location adjacent to and downstream of the location of the resulting false twist at the same time as the occurrence of the false twist.

11. Apparatus as defined in claim 10, and further comprising means adapted to be responsive to positioning of the intermediate yarn end portion in the housing means for activating both the means for jetting the gaseous fluid and the cutting means.

12. Apparatus for assimilating a moving yarn end of filamentary material into a moving tow, and comprising:

housing means for positioning therewithin a portion of the moving tow and an intermediate portion of said moving yarn end closely adjacent to and approximately parallel with each other;

said housing means defining an elongated slot and a passage extending the length of the housing and through which slot the tow and yarn end may be inserted into the housing for moving along a path in said passage;

a jet entangling device disposed within one portion of the housing means along the path of the moving tow and yarn end adapted upon activation to entangle filaments by false twisting individual filaments of the intermediate yarn end portion with filaments of the tow portion;

cutting means disposed within another portion of the housing means along the path of the moving yarn end adapted upon activation to cut the yarn end portion downstream of the location of the resulting false twist; and

means in the housing means responsive to the insertion of the yarn end portion in the housing means for activating both the jet entangling device and cutting devices at the same time.

13. Apparatus as defined in claim 12, and wherein said housing means further defines a vertically disposed slot at a location downstream of the jet entangling device, said vertically disposed slot adapted to insertingly receive a portion of the yarn end and Within which slot is located the means responsive to insertion of the yarn end portion for activating both the jet entangling device and the cutting device at the same time.

14. Apparatus as defined in claim 13, and wherein said responsive means includes an orifice defined in a wall surface of the vertically disposed slot that is in connection with a fluidic circuit for controlling activation of the jet entangling device and the cutting device.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,353,225 11/1967 Dodson et a1. 2872.2 X F 5 3,380,135 4/1968 Wood et a1 28-47 X FOREIGN PATENTS 183,155 8/1966 U.S.S.R. 2872.2 F 956,992 4/1964- Great Britain 2872t2 F 10 LOUIS K. RIMRODT, Primary Examiner 11.8. C1. X.R.

28-1 CF, 47, 72.2 F 

